Pencil shaving device

ABSTRACT

An article for shaving pencils having a body member with a bore in the body member for receiving a pencil. The bore has at least one aperture or opening. The body member further includes a cutting, or shaving, device, so that upon a manual insertion of a pencil into the bore, and subsequent withdrawal of the pencil from the bore, a portion of the pencil is shaved off by the cutting, or shaving, device for providing a suitable surface for labelling of the pencil.

TECHNICAL AREA

The invention relates to the area of pencil shaving devices and inparticular, to a pencil shaving device providing a means of shavingpencils for the purposes of labelling.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The concept of labelling pencils for school children for use atpre-school, primary school or secondary school is one which has beenaround for decades. Conventionally, labels were made using sticky tapeor stickers however, this proved to be quite unsatisfactory as thelabels would often fall off and then the pencils would be lost or takenby others.

Attempts to solve this problem have involved holding the pencil, cuttingor shaving off a portion of the non-writing end of the pencil with anopen razor blade or knife, and then scribing a name on the cut or shavedportion of the pencil. This method is not only time consuming due to thecare which must be taken when using a blade or knife, but extremelydangerous to the user.

In addition, previous attempts have failed to produce satisfactoryresults, often resulting in an uneven cut or shaved portions, or elsehaving a cut or shaved portion that is too large whereby, the internalgraphite is exposed to the surface of the pencil.

OUTLINE OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to overcome or substantiallyameliorate the problems of the prior art by providing a pencilsharpening device that is adapted to provide a cut or shaved portion ona pencil surface for labelling of the pencil.

The invention provides, a device for pencil shaving having a bodymember, a bore which is adapted to receive a pencil, at least oneaperture or opening, and a cutting means whereby, when there is a manualinsertion of a pencil into the said bore and subsequent withdrawal ofthe pencil from the said bore, a portion of the pencil is shaved off bythe said cutting means.

It is preferred that the bore be a hollowed cavity created within thebody member which may be tapered at one end.

It is preferred that the bore be provided with at least one aperture oropening.

It is further preferred that a back end of the bore can have a widththat is greater or less than the diameter of a pencil to determine howfar the pencil is able to pass through the bore of the body member.

It is preferred that the cutting means be provided with a blade that ispositioned at an angle suitable to cut or shave the surface of thepencil as it is withdrawn from the pencil shaving device

It is also preferred that the body member be provided with ramps made ofa resilient material or other suitable material, or other means adaptedto guide the pencil and ensure a clean cut is achieved.

In order that the invention be more readily understood we will describeby way of non-limiting examples specific embodiments of the device madein accordance with the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side perspective view of the pencil shaving device accordingto a preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the pencil shaving device.

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of the pencil shaving device accordingto a preferred embodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF AN EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

FIGS. 1 to 3 show a preferred embodiment of the invention as it relatesto a pencil shaving device.

In this embodiment of the invention, the pencil shaving device 8 has abody member 1 having an upper 13, lower 14 and intermediate portion 15of a suitable construction, and can be made from any resilient materialsuch as wood, fibreglass, plastic or the like. The body member 1 canhave any suitable width or diameter such that, the device according tothe invention can be comfortably handled or gripped by a human hand ofany size, including children. The body member 1 can also be of anysuitable length such that is adapted to receive pencil shafts of varyinglengths.

The body member 1 is provided with a bore 3. The bore 3 is a hollowedcavity entry end 5 of the bore, has an internal width which is greaterthan the diameter of the pencil to be shaved or cut. The front entry end5 is provided with a first aperture or opening 6 which is adapted toprovide a means for receiving the shaft of the pencil into the bodymember.

It is envisaged that the back end 4 of the bore may have provided asecond aperture or opening 7 such that, a pencil shaft to be shaved orcut can be inserted through the entire body member 1. In this way, thepencil shaving device is not only able to accommodate pencils of variouslengths, but also provide a means whereby the pencil is able to belabelled anywhere along the shaft as desired by the user.

The bore 3 is formed such that, the back end 4 has a squarecross-sectional construction or shape, and the front entry end 5 has arectangular cross-sectional construction or shape. In a preferredembodiment of the invention, the corners of the bore 3 are formed sothat, they are rounded.

The bore 3 may be provided with at least one extension 18 along its sideto give rigidity to the construction of the pencil shaving device.

Provided along the base of the intermediate portion 15 and thus, base ofthe bore 3, are two (2) ramps 20 which further assist in guiding thepencil through the pencil shaving device 8. It is envisaged that theseramps 20 are made of a resilient material or other suitable material,which is able to be depressed as the pencil shaft passes through thedevice 8, whilst also providing sufficient and even support and force asthe pencil is being withdrawn to ensure that the surface of the pencilshaft remains in close contact with the blade edge 12 to produce a cleancut.

In a first embodiment of the invention, the back end 4 of the bore 3 mayhave an internal width that is greater than the diameter of any pencilshaft to be received by the body member 1 such that, when the pencilshaft is manually inserted through the first aperture or opening 6, thepencil shaft can be allowed to slide through the bore 3 and the entirebody member 1 and out through the second aperture or opening 7, enablingthe user to have a personal choice in the length of the pencil to beshaved or cut by the pencil shaving device 8. When the pencil shaft isat this position, the bore 3 of the body member 1 can then stabilize thepencil and provide a means for the allowing the inserted pencil shaft tobe pivoted within the bore 3 by the user.

In a second embodiment of the invention, the back end 4 of the bore 3may have an internal width which is less than the diameter of any pencilshaft to be received by the body member 1 such that, when the pencilshaft is manually inserted through the first aperture or opening 6, thepencil shaft will eventually reach a position somewhere along the backend 4 of the bore 3 where the diameter of the back end 4 is such that,the pencil shaft must is prevented from entering further into the bodymember 1. When the pencil shaft is at this position, the bore 3 of thebody member 1 can then stabilize the-pencil and provide a means for theallowing the inserted pencil shaft to be pivoted within the bore 3 bythe user.

Positioned toward the back end 4 of the bore 3, is a cutting means 10.The cutting means Is provided with a blade 11 which may be made from anymaterial such as stainless steel. The blade is located between an uppernotch 16 provided on the internal wall of the upper portion 13 and alower notch 17 provided on the upper edge of the intermediate portion 15of the body member 1. The edge of the blade 11 may be positioned at anangle to the longitudinal direction of the bore 3 pointing in a downwarddirection toward the back end 4

The upper portion 13 of the body member 1 is provided with a thirdaperture or opening 21. The third aperture or opening 21 is recessedsuch that, as the pencil is withdrawn and a cut portion is being formed,the newly creating shaving is led to slide upwardly and out from thethird aperture or opening 21.

The pencil shaving device 8 according to the invention, is adapted toreceive a pencil that is commercially available and is preferably madefrom wood or any other material that is capable of being cut by such ablade 11.

In practice, a pencil shaft is manually inserted through the firstaperture or opening 6 of the bore 3 of the body member 1, which ispositioned at the front entry end 5 of the bore 3. It should be notedthat throughout the specification, the shaft refers to the non-writingend of the pencil whose end is generally flush in construction and doesnot have any exposed graphite.

Once the pencil shaft has been inserted through the bore 3 of the bodymember 1, whether it be through the entire bore 3 or most of the bore 3depending on the type of pencil shaving device 8 being used, the pencilshaft is then manually pivoted within the bore 3 by the user, through anangle of less than ninety (90) degrees, to a position where the pencilshaft is able to make contact or abut the blade 11 positioned inside thebore 3.

Whilst the pencil shaft is in contact with or abutting the blade 11, itis manually withdrawn by the user from the body member 1 back outthrough the first aperture or opening 6 of the bore 3. The action ofmoving the contacted or abutted pencil shaft across the blade edge 12 asit is being withdrawn from the body member 1 results in a cutting,shearing or shaving of a portion of the material of the pencil shaft.The result is a cut or shaved region having flat surface which issuitable for writing, marking or labelling by the user.

Marking of the cut pencil may be achieved by writing, marking orlabelling of the cut region of the pencil by any suitable meansincluding a biro pen, pencil, texta or adhesive label.

Whilst we have described herein specific embodiments of the invention,it is to be understood that other embodiments of the invention willexhibit any number of and any combination of the features previouslydescribed, and any and all such variations and modifications can be madein the invention without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention.

1-16. (canceled)
 17. An article for shaving pencils, comprising: a bodymember having a bore for receiving a pencil; and, means for shaving thepencil upon a manual insertion of the pencil into the bore of said bodymember, so that upon a subsequent withdrawal of the pencil from thebore, a portion of the pencil is shaved off by said means for shaving.18. The article for shaving pencils according to claim 17, wherein thebore of said body member is a hollowed cavity created within said bodymember.
 19. The article for shaving pencils according to claim 18,wherein the bore of said body member has a base with at least one rampbeing provided along said base for guiding the pencil through said bodymember.
 20. The article for shaving pencils according to claim 19,wherein said at least one ramp is made of a resilient material forproviding a sufficient and even force against the pencil for ensuringthat the pencil remains in contact with said means for shaving.
 21. Thearticle for shaving pencils according to claim 17, wherein the bore ofsaid body member is tapered at one end.
 22. The article for shavingpencils according to claim 21, wherein the bore of said body member isprovided with at least one aperture or opening.
 23. The article forshaving pencils according to claim 22, wherein the bore of said bodymember has a plurality of apertures or openings with one aperture oropening being at a front end of the bore.
 24. The article for shavingpencils according to claim 23, wherein said one aperture or opening inthe bore of said body member is a first aperture or opening with asecond aperture or opening being at a rear end of the bore for enablinga user of said article to choose a length of the pencil to be shaved,the rear end of the bore being an end opposite the front end of thebore.
 25. The article for shaving pencils according to claim 24, whereinthe bore of said body member includes a third aperture or openinglocated on an upper portion of said body member.
 26. The article forshaving pencils according to claim 17, wherein a rear end of the bore ofsaid body member has an internal width greater than a diameter of anypencil, so that the pencil is passable through the entirety of the boreof said body member.
 27. The article for shaving pencils according toclaim 17, wherein a rear end of the bore of said body member has aninternal width less than a diameter of any pencil, so that the pencil ispassable through only a portion of the bore of said body member.
 28. Thearticle for shaving pencils according to claim 17, wherein said meansfor shaving is positioned on an internal wall of the bore of said bodymember.
 29. The article for shaving pencils according to claim 28,wherein said means for shaving includes a blade.
 30. The article forshaving pencils according to claim 29, wherein said blade is angled forshaving off a portion of the pencil as the pencil is withdrawn from saidarticle.
 31. The article for shaving pencils according to claim 17,further comprising extensions positioned on either side of said bodymember for providing rigidity to said article.